Charles D. Woodhouse: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:15AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Mr. Firestone; I think that it is great that you are making yourself available in this manner. I feel that I can use this contemporary medium and actually contact the person for whom the message is intended. While my message may not be as appropriate at the state level as the federal, I am bothered by the fact that there is a considerable erosion in subsequent generations abilities to buy the essential ingrediants of "food, fire, and shelter." My maternal grandparents were born in the U.S. My paternal side goes back to the late 1600's New England. On both sides, both have worked hard and in past generations have been able to purchase the essential ingrediants. As a parent of three successful children (a parent with a brillant college educated wife) and me, a husband and father with 3 college degrees, the highest a Ph.D., the children have all obtained B.A. degrees. Each has gone on for post graduate degrees at USC,Cal State Northridge, and Stanford. What disturbs me greatly is the fact that this latest generation cannot afford the "shelter" part of the above. My parents are long gone. The estate taxes took an enormous toll, and I see three young families living in rental conditions, and while I do what I can to help, there is no way that, with the residue of past estates that I inherited along with what I've been able to accumulate as a working professional, that anyone of us can muster the necessary capital to provide for these future, productive citizens of our society. I might add, that all three of my children work: one in finance; one in business; and one in science/pharmacology. None of us are laggards. How can this downward spiral be rectified? It really seems to me that the rhetoric from Washington directed at punish the rich (successful) is ultimately going to hinder these wonderful younger generations from achieving the basic security that comes from enough capital to afford fuel, fire, and particularly shelter. Thank you for your ear.

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:24AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Mr. Woodhouse... the phenomena of downward mobility is one of the hallmarks of our modern era... I do not have the answer except that all of us are striving to maintain the blessings of our modern society and prosperity... I have nine grandchildren an d share your concerns

A. D. T.: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:26AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Mr. Firestone, first of all thank you for coming on to this chat. Second, as we all know there are some serious problems with the condition of many Public School buildings, could you please tell us about any current plans to upgrade and/or enlarge these S chool buildings?

Joanne Kennedy: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:27AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Thank you so much for having this chat session. I will be away from a computer so would it be possible to get your comments after May 2? I was very distressed to hear that Charles Manson has a web page. What do you know about this? I don't feel he should have a computer.

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Hello, world... This is the 35th Assembly representative, Brooks Firestone holding forth on the internet. One of the greatest problems that any elected official faces is to obtain real conversations with real people... we hear a great amount of activis t and special interest contact, but most constituents really do not like politics, and stay away from the process. Perhaps the internet will bring new access and communication. Let it happen....

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:33AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Hello ADT.. there are a number of school bonds on the ballot this year. There will be a conference committee that will combine these into one bond, and I will support that. Perhaps even more important than school buildings is school techology. There a re efforts to put the entire K12 curriculum on the internet, and that will bring new access... perhaps even better than building buildings.

Kathryn Hintergardt: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:33AM PST (-0800 GMT)
So glad to see you online Mr. Firestone. The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments recently held and a meeting and unanimously approved a study of the concept of Smart Communities. They are looking into the possibility of cooperation among gover nment, academia, not for profit organizations and individuals for the devlopement of a Telecommunications Network in Santa Barbara County. Have you heard of this proposal for Smart Communities and if so what is your position on it.

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:36AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Joanne Kennedy I totally agree that prisoners should not have the ability to communicate with the outside world on the internet. Particularly when the schools do not have enough technology!

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:39AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Kathryn Hintergardt.. Thank you for having me on line today. I am not familiar with the "smart comunities" effort per se, but I would be entirely supportive. I believe that techology is the international competitive area that countries, states and com munities will either succeed or fail in the eyes of history. To the extent we have a smart community, we will succeed, and I would be proud to be a part of that.

bluh: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:40AM PST (-0800 GMT)
bluhbluhblhu

Silvia Tyndall: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:41AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Thank you Assemblyman Firestone for joining us online today. As Vice Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, what is the single most important issue you and your fellow committee members will be addressing this term? Do you see use of the internet and distance education helping to reduce higher education costs?

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:42AM PST (-0800 GMT)
For those of you who wonder what the physical setting is for one sitting at the computer, let me say that it is 11:30 and we are at a beautiful Santa Barbara courtyard where the Bistro Med is preparing lunch. We truly have a beautiful town.

Marilyn Sheaffer: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:46AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What bills are you currently working on?

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:47AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Sylvia Tyndall: I believe the single most important issue regarding higher education is the remediation necessary for entering students. If the students are not ready for higher education, then the people of California are not subsidizing college work, but rather a repetition of high school work. We must, in the first instance, make the high schools accountable. There is no question that distance learning is, perhaps the most important answer to access and improvement of K12 and higher education. We are working on a California virtual university and the University of California has a project to put a K12 curriculum on the internet. It is possible that UCSB will have 50,000 graduates in a few years, some of whom would never have seen the campus!!

Adrienne: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:52AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have you been able to successfully work in a non-parisan manner in Sacramento or are the majority of elected officials bound to their party lines?

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:53AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Marilyn Sheaffer: My most important Bill is a program called "Scholarshare" which is a plan that would allow a tax exempt savings plan for higher education. A young student would be able to open a savings account with the Student Aid Commission that wo uld compound over the years, at perhaps a 12% rate (!) and then use the compounded, tax free funds for college. 15 other states have similar programs, and I am proud to author a California plan. Another Bill is, of all things, a scrap tire clean up bil l. California generates 30 million waste tires, and over 12 million are buried in dumps. We are mining coal and burying tires, and my bill would help the constructive use of this scrap resource. There are others if I have time.

anon: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:54AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Thank you for being available on the internet, you have been doing an excellent job representing Santa Barbara County. I have one question..could you tell me about your bike bill. I ride my bike almost every day to work, and i am interested in this issu e.

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:54AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Adrienne: My most important Bill, the Scholarshare college savings plan has 43 co-authors! (about even in Dems and Reps) Yes, I can work in a bi-partisan manner and it is important for California to continue to do this.

Marilyn Sheaffer: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:55AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What are your future plans?

A. D. T.: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:55AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Mr. Firestone, I am very glad that you are in favor of distance education. I think it is an important issue to encourage because it would help solve problems with overcrowding in schools. Telecommunication is also important, both of these would cut down o n air pollution by decreasing the amount of vehicles in use each day. Thank you for supporting these issues.

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:58AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Anon: There is a portion of the Highway Funds that are used for bicycle projects, but only around $375,000 per year. This has not been increased since 1984! My bill would allocate one million dollars for bicycle projects next year, going up to 5 mill ion in 2003. May 20th is bike to work day.... lets show the world that Santa Barbara is leading the way in this back to the future transportation!

jerry of sb independent: . . . . Fri, May 2, 11:58AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Are your running for Lt. Gov.? Why or why not? If you're undecided, when will you decide

anon: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:02AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Your bike proposal sounds great. What can I do to encourage your fellow legislators to support this bill.

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:05AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Marilyn Schaffer: My future plans are somewhat up in the air at the moment. I am enjoying the Assembly job more than I ever anticipated. There are some people who want me to run for Lieutenant Governor. This is a valuable and interesting job. The LG is chair of the economic development commission, a UC Regent, a member of the Trustees of the California State University and a member of the State Lands Commission. To the extent that the LG is involved in the Senate, I would also like to audit this par t of the Legislature as I did the Assembly. At the moment I am in that state of decision making where I am listening to friends and potential supporters, trying to understand if I have the fire for a grueling state race, and watching to see who else will run.. It feels good. June 2 is the date, under Proposition 208 when these campaigns begin, and I will decide by then. Thank you for the question.

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:07AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Jerry of SB Indy... please read above.. thank you... woof woof!

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:10AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Anon: pleas write me or any other legislator. I know Jack O'Connell supports this. The problem is that too many legislators think of bikes as recreation and not transportation. Santa Barbara is leading the way in this issue and we need to tell the w orld. Call my office 965-1994 for a list of other legislators or check out the Assembly home page at www.assembly.ca.gov.

anon: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:11AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How was your first term in the Assembly? What did you find to be most interesting?

m.r.d.: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:14AM PST (-0800 GMT)
IMHO stay local, you can do more good for your constituents at this time. Wait a while to go to LG or above.

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:17AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Anon: My first term was far more interesting and intriguing than I ever anticipated. The range of issues and the people who are involved are completely engaging, and I am enjoying the experience. I recommend govenment service and recommend participat ion to everyone.

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:19AM PST (-0800 GMT)
IMHO... Thank you for the thought. It certainly is part of my thinking... and besides, I like it here !

nature: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:21AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What kind of legislation have you introduced which will help the environment? Specifically, what kind of bills are being introduced that will save our coastal waters and sea life?

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:27AM PST (-0800 GMT)
nature: AB 459 is my bill that will require the Department of Health Services to monitor the shellfish areas that are use by sports fishers, as well as the commercial shellfish areas that are currintly monitored. My AB 375 will facilitate the scrap tir e clean up problem in California by tire purchase assessment, enforcement of illegal tire piles, subsidizing the constructive use of scrap tire materials, and publicity efforts.

Marilyn Sheaffer: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Is there a chance that we could get legislation to have the state tax forms more like the federal forms?

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:37AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Marilyn Scheaffer: There is a body of thought that California should conform our State taxes to Federal taxes... this procedural conformity would be a saving for all Californians who would then only have one set of taxes to compute. The problem is that there are special state tax laws that give advantages to certain people and industries who do not have the federal advantages. Obviously they would oppose the change. There would also be a reduction of about 4000 state employees who review and audit the state tax returns. This would be good for Californians, but not approved by the public service union people. I would support any such move to conformity.

Beth: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:38AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do you think the state of California has too much debt?

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:38AM PST (-0800 GMT)
For any constituents who have future questions, you can e-mail me at firestba@assembly.ca.gov or contact my district office at P.O. Box 2698, Santa Barbara, CA 93120. I look forward to hearing from you.

Constituent: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:41AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How do you like chatting online?

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:46AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Beth: The total amount of California State Debt totals over 100 Billion dollars. No one computes the total which is the accumulation of all city, school, water district, bridge authority etc. etc. as well as the State of California debt. The Bond rati ng services analyze the economy and debt of California as well as the management and politics. Right now, California debt is rate A + which is an improvement of the last few year's A rating. With some good management and good luck, we could be uprated t o an AA rating. Depending on the amount of debt that turns over on a given year, the value to California of this rating improvement could exceed $100,000,000!! If California acquires too much debt or if any debt instruments or authorities in California go into default, such as the Orange County disaster, then we would suffer a down rating and the resulting increase in interest expense. This is one of the obscure but crucial issues which is of great importance to the successful operation of California.

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:49AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Constituent: I am enjoying this chatting on line. There is no question that people who chat online are smarter than the average bears, and thus interesting and challenging. I intend to continue this mode of communication. If you are interested in bein g added to a list of interested constituents, e-mail Valerie at kushnevj@assembly.ca.gov.

simon: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:51AM PST (-0800 GMT)
There has been a lot of talk about censorship of the internet. What do you think will happen with this and how do you feel about it?

Brooks Firestone: . . . . Fri, May 2, 12:54AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Here is a final thought for the onlines: "But yield who will to the opposite, my object in living is to unite my vocation and my avocation as my two eyes make one in sight. Only where love and need are one, and work is play for mortal stakes is the dee d ever truly done for heaven and the future's sakes." Robert Frost

anonymous: . . . . Fri, May 2, 1:19PM PST (-0800 GMT)
Howdy yall

Kathryn Hintergardt, for the RAIN Network: . . . . Fri, May 2, 1:31PM PST (-0800 GMT)
Thank you Assemblyman Firestone for joining us here at the RAIN Community Internet Center in downtown Santa Barbara. The Firestone chatroom is available for you to log in your comments and questions and Mr. Firestone will be checking in over the next week to respond. We look forward to more chats with Mr. Firestone from Santa Barbara or Sacramento and are glad to be able to provide these virtual office hours for his constituents to be in communication with him. Thank you everyone for your participation!

Nancy: . . . . Fri, May 2, 2:55PM PST (-0800 GMT)
what does state assembly is doing to protect minor child from living with a registered child molester? Does the state-law remove a bad ventura county judge, who knowly allowed a calif registered child molestered to live with a 12 yearold girl? How does motivate their state representative( Mrs Wright) to introduce a bill to stop bad-judges for giving inocent child to be rared?

harison: . . . . Fri, May 2, 3:03PM PST (-0800 GMT)
From Ventura Thanks for support for Ventura Pier $250,000 from WCB approved yesterday. Hope for more to come under Coastal Resource Grant Program. Also Ventura County Ag. Land Trust needs support for future ag land preservation. Any ideas?

Nancy: . . . . Fri, May 2, 5:33PM PST (-0800 GMT)
what does state assembly is doing to protect minor child from living with a registered child molester? Does the state-law remove a bad ventura county judge, who knowly allowed a calif registered child molestered to live with a 12 yearold girl? How does motivate their state representative( Mrs Wright) to introduce a bill to stop bad-judges for giving inocent child to be rared?

Darlene Chirman: . . . . Fri, May 2, 5:35PM PST (-0800 GMT)
Assemblyman Firestone-- I wish to know who makes the decisions on freeway landscaping. Santa Barbara is getting several new freeway interchanges, and I have seen palm trees being planted, and heard that other interchanges will have "Astralian theme" plantings. I would like to see SANTA BARBARA native trees and shrubs, many which would be very appropriate for roadside plantings. I'd like visitors to know what part of the world they are in when arriving in Santa Barbara! Is there local input to these decisions, or does Caltrans make them for all projects in the state?